Fudö Myö-ö

Object Title:

Date:

Artist:

Anonymous

Carver:

N/A

Printer:

N/A

Publisher:

N/A

Medium:

Hand-colored woodblock print
Technique: Hand-colored woodblock print

Credit Line:

Purchase, 1954 (13434)

Object Number:

13434

Description:

Fudö Myö-ö (Sk. Acalanatha Vidyäräja) is a deity of Indian origin. His name means “Immovable King of Wisdom,"" and in China and Japan he was considered the most important of the Five Myö-ö, or Wisdom Kings, wrathful protectors of Buddhism. Worship of the Five Wisdom Kings was introduced into ninth-century Japan by Köbö Daishi, who studied Esoteric Buddhism in China and returned to found the Shingon sect. Because of his ability to overcome obstacles, the powerful Fudö Myö-ö, considered a manifestation of the supreme cosmic Buddha Dainichi Nyorai (Mahavairochana), is a particularly popular figure in Japanese Buddhist art. (from Pathway exhibition 1/29/08-)